Rachelle Zola is walking to raise awareness about racial inequality

Rachelle Zola, a 76-year-old white woman living in Chicago, is walking 750 miles from Chicago to Montgomery, Alabama, to improve racial equality in the United States.

According to WIAT BirminghamZola was inspired to act after talking to several black people in Chicago.

“I’m a white person, and I should use my body, not just my voice. I should use this white body and just express this idea that we can’t wait any longer,” Zola told the outlet.

While traveling the country, Zola will also perform “Late: A Love Story,” her one-woman show, which she has used to connect and discuss the topic of racial inequality with hundreds of people.

According to Theatre Y, “Late: A Love Story” is a performance of vulnerability that explores stories from Chicago’s Black community. The play is directed by Melissa Lorraine and was co-written by Zola and Emily Bragg.

“In this performance, Rachelle vulnerably shares her own story as a 75-year-old white woman discovering racism in America, which transitions seamlessly into ten friends sharing their stories steeped in the devastating legacy of the past.”

Zola said WIAT that she hopes to arrive in Montgomery in October and, according to the outlet, she will perform her show in Birmingham on August 25. Zola, for her part, told the outlet that this journey is just the beginning for her.

“I’m not waiting, I’m coming to Montgomery. This is just the beginning for me. I don’t know what this looks like, but I know there’s more,” Zola said.

In March, Zola spoke to ABC 7 and explained that she was tired of being silent because she had become aware of the concept that silence is violence during the Black Lives Matter protests.

“The signs are up there, ‘Silence is violence.’ And it’s like I didn’t even know I was silent. My complete ignorance of not knowing, I never thought about their lives, their lived experiences, the trauma, the pain that they go through every day.”

Zola continued, “I hope there are places where people say, ‘Please continue, in silence. I’m asking people, are you willing to hear another story?’ And then I have to go to them. I want them to know that we are all one human race.”

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